Héder

Biography

According to the Illuminated Chronicle, "[After that] Wolfger [Wolfer] came from Germany [to Hungary] alongside his younger brother Henry [Héder] with three-hundred armored war-horses and forty armored knights; They belong to the Counts of Hainburg. Grand Prince Géza donated [to Wolfer] the Mountain of Küszén and an island in Győr's neighborhood, where he built a wood castle and founded an abbey, he was buried there. The Héders' genus originates from them". Mark of Kált's work incorrectly – accidentally or intentionally – refers to Grand Prince Géza (c. 972–997), father of Saint Stephen, the first King of Hungary, in fact, Wolfer and Héder arrived to Hungary during the first regnal years of the minor Géza II of Hungary (definitely before 1146).

The brothers' place of origin is in dispute. Simon of Kéza's Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum writes that Wolfer and Héder came from "Vildonia" with forty armored soldiers, referring to Burgruine Wildon in Styria, however the castle itself was built only after 1157 thus that identification is incorrect. Johannes de Thurocz says in his work Chronica Hungarorum that the two knights originated from Hainburg of "Alemannia", therefore the Duchy of Swabia. Presumably Mark of Kált's version is closer to the truth, as there was a certain knight Wolfger von Erlach in the first half of the 12th century in Hainburg.

Héder was donated Hédervár, Győr County by King Géza II, while Wolfer became owner of Németújvár (today Güssing in Austria) where he founded a Benedictine monastery and later was buried himself there. Héder was the ancestor of the prestigious Hédervári family, while the infamous Kőszegi family originated from Wolfer. As later the Héder genus was named after Héder and not after his elder brother, historian János Karácsonyi argued that Héder "was more talented than Wolfer or lived a very long time". Héder was already mentioned as ispán in 1146.

The Héder clan became one of the most influential kindreds by the 13th century. Héder's namesake son or grandson (fl. 1210–1223) served as ispán of Győr County in 1223. His another (grand)child was Denis, whose branch is the direct ascendant of the Hédervári family.

Between 1150 and 1157, Héder held the dignity of Judge royal, the second-highest secular position after the Palatine. In fear of being seized and executed by King Géza II, his brother, the rebellious Duke Stephen sought refuge in the Holy Roman Empire in summer 1157. Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor, was willing to arbitrate the conflict between Géza II and Stephen, and dispatched his envoys to Hungary. In response, Géza sent delegates to the Emperor, Judge royal Héder and Gervasius, Bishop of Győr. At the Diet of Regensburg in January 1158, Héder and Gervasius rejected the accusations of Stephen and successfully reached the Emperor withdrew his support from the pretender. After that Stephen left for Constantinople.

Following the death of Géza II, Héder supported the 15-year-old Stephen III, who was crowned on 31 May 1162. Héder was appointed Palatine soon and because of the King's young age, also functioned as de facto regent. Stephen III's two uncles, Ladislaus and Stephen, who had joined the court of the Byzantine Empire, challenged his right to the crown, and the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos launched an expedition against Hungary. Fearing an invasion by Manuel, the Hungarian magnates, also Héder, agreed to accept Ladislaus, as a "compromise candidate" in July 1162. After Ladislaus' death Stephen III was restored and overturned the other pretender Stephen IV's army. Héder held the office of Palatine until 1164, when replaced by the skilled military leader Ampud.